Originally posted on Arabic Literature (in English): Back in 2011, The Economist complained it wasn’t possible to get a copy of David Larsen’s translation of Names of the Lion “for money and possibly not…

Sitting in the University Library at Cambridge, reading the sculptor Eric Gill’s diaries of his trip to Palestine in 1934 (he had been commissioned by the architect Austen St. Barbe … Continue reading →

Electronic Intifada, 11th January 2017 Whether Arabic or Aramaic has been the dominant tongue, or Islam, Judaism, Christianity or paganism the majority religion, the city has always been a patchwork; … Continue reading →

The Electronic Intifada, 3rd January 2017 The only two significant bodies of al-Qasim’s poetry available in translation were, until now, Sadder than Water, a fine bilingual edition from Jerusalem-based Ibis … Continue reading →

Deyika Nzeribe, who has died suddenly aged 50, , was a much-loved and respected figure in Manchester. His many admirable qualities included not just intelligence and concern about the s… … Continue reading →

ASSOCIATION FOR MIDDLE EAST WOMEN’S STUDIES (AMEWS) POST-ELECTION POSITION STATEMENT November 16, 2016 The Association for Middle East Women’s Studies (AMEWS), an affiliate of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA), … Continue reading →

Just found in a Bart Moore-Gilbert (RIP) article on Palestine and postcolonial studies an interesting example of the risks of literature scholars working from translations. It could be read, I … Continue reading →

A couple of months ago I was furtling around in the online archives of the Rockefeller Museum, established under the British Mandate as the Palestine Archaeological Museum and run from … Continue reading →

The Electronic Intifada, 3rd October 2016 The theme of the unstable balance between myth and memory recurs constantly throughout the novella. “Things evaporate and die if they don’t find someone … Continue reading →

The Electronic Intifada, 27th September 2016 Unlike Jawhariyyeh, al-Hout or Sayigh, Galilean hills, Lebanon and Jerusalem do not loom large in Abu Sitta’s account. Instead, his life story is rooted … Continue reading →

The Electronic Intifada, 29th July 2016 The first half of the performance closed with “Metal,” a short piece by contemporary composer Graham Fitkin, a celebratory work inspired by modern British … Continue reading →